Steering apparatus for freight-carrying barges



E. W. B. NOWLAND.

STEERING APPARATUS FOR FRE|GHT CARRYING BARGES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 28, I920.

Patented Oct. 19,1920.

UNITED STATES V PATENT OFFICE.

EDWARD NOWLAND, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO EDWARDNOWLAND, JR., OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

' STEERINGAPPARATUS FORIREIGHT-CARRYING B AnGns.

Specification of Letters Patent. Paten ted Oct. 19 1920.

Application filed July 28, 1920. Serial No. 399,523.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LAND, a citizen "of the United States; and aresident of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented certain new anduseful Improve tow boat may be utilized in pushing while the steering isdone by rudders at the front of the tow and rear of the tow boatoperated by steering mechanism on the latter, and'1t consists of a towboat having steering rudders at its stern, and a barge lashedthereto andhaving steering rudders at ltS'bQW the rudders on the barge and tow boatbeing controlled by steering mechanism on the latter.

It further consists in certain details of construction and combinationsof parts as will be more fully explained and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a view in side elevation of atow boat and a barge, showing my improvement applied thereto. same. Fig.3 is a rear end view. and Figs. 4 and 5 are views of a false bow for abarge.

10 represents a tow-boat which may be of the type now in general use fortowing barges, or it may be especially designed for the purpose, andcarrying propelling means (not shown) operated by an engine in the usualand well known manner. This boat 10 is provided at its stern, which issquared as shown with twin rudders 11, the stems wheel 16*. Thissteering mechanism is pref-' erably driven by steam steerlng gear (notshown) but may be actuated by hand.

Barges 17 are to be coupled or lashed to the boat 10 in the usualmanner, and the barge at the firearm-e center of the fleet EDWARD B.Now- Fig. 2 is a View in plan of the is provided at-its front end withrudders 18. "Inthe drawings I have shown one barge lashed at: its rearend to the front end of the tow-boat 10 but I would have it understoodthat my invention contemplates the use of more than one barge arrangedin tandem formcor side by side as is now customary.

The rudders 18 at the bow of barge 17 are arranged in pairs as shown inFig. 2, and are connected by the cross-bar 19 connected to the tillerline 20. The stems 21 of the rudders 1 8 are mounted in and carried bythe bearings 22 which may be detachably secured to the bow of the bargeand be readily detachable for use on the barge which occu-' pies thefront ofthe fleet in line with the tow-boat 10. 1

The tiller lines 20 pass around sheaves '23 I at the bow of the bargeand are guided by the sheaves 24: adjacent the stern of the lat ter andpass from thence around sheaves 25 at the side of tow-boat 10 and underguides 25* located below the steering drum 26; This drum is located inline with steering drum 16- and closcto the latter, and is provided witha steering wheel 26 adapted to beactuated by hand. The twosteering-wheels and their drums are located in the pilot house of thetow-boat 10 and are sufliciently close so that bothmay be operatedsimultaneously, but independently of each other by a pilot, in the eventof an emergency. and the shafts of the two drums 16 and 26 or the drumsthemselves may be connected by the clutch 27 actuated by the lever 28.

In Fig. 2 the clutch sections are shown disconnected so that thesteering drums may be actuated independently, but by shifting themovable section 27 of the clutch to the position shown in dotted lines,both drums will be actuated simultaneously and operate the rudders atthe bow and at the stern. By using steam steering gear on the tow-boatand providing a coupling or clutch for the two drums the rudders at thestern of the tow-boatand the bow of the barge may be operated by thesteam steering mechanism. orif necessary to manipulate the rudders atthe bow of the barge independently of the rudders 11 at the stern of thetow-boat. the latter rudders may be actuated by the steam steeringgearand the bow rudders by hand.

The bearings 22 carrying the rudders 18 and stems 21 may be removableand thus adapted for attachment to thefront barge of cases I use thefalse bows 29 which latter are shaped at their rear ends to make a closefit with the barge and carry the rudders 18* at their front ends, thefalse bow being provided with snubbing posts 30 whereby it may be lashedto the barge. These false bows are provided with water compartments (notshown) which, when filled or partly filled with water, cause the bow tosink sutliciently to enable its stern to be warped under the bow of thebarge, the stern of the false bow being designed to conform to the shapeof the bowof the barge.

This false bow is provided with sheaves 23 and 2% for guiding the tillerlines back to the sheaves on the barge to which the bow 29 is attached.

It will of course be understood that if the front barge be in advance ofother barges the tiller lines will be guided on each of the latter backto the tow-boat.

Various slight changes might be made in the details of construction ofmy invention without departing from the spirit'thereof or limiting itsscope and hence I do not wish to restrict myself to the precise detailsherein set forth.

Having fully described my invention what I claim as new and desireto'secure by Letters-Patent, is:

1. The combination of a tow-boat having a rudder at its stern andsteering mechanism for actuating the same, a barge in advance of saidtow-boat and provided with a rudder at its bow, a steering drum on thetow-boat and tiller lines leading from the rudder on the barge to thesteering drum on the towboat.

2. The combination of a tow-boat having a rudder at its stern andsteering mechanism for actuating'the same, a second steering drum onsaid boat, clutch mechanism for connecting said drums, a barge inadvance of the tow-boat and provided with a rudder at its bow, andtiller lines leading'from said bow rudder to the secondsteering drum onthe tow-boat.

The combination of a tow-boat having a rudder at its stern, two steeringdrums on said best, one of said drums being connected with the rudder atthe stern, a barge in advance of the tow-boat, a. false bow for saidbarge, a rudder at the front end of said false bow and tiller linesleading from said how rudder to the other steering drum on the tow-boat.

4-. 'l he combination of a tow-boat having a rudder at its stern, twosteering drums on said boat,'one of which is connected with said rudder,a clutch for connecting the two,

drums whereby they may be moved in unison, a barge in advance of sandtow-boat, a false bow for said barge, a rudder at the front of the falsebow and tiller lines lead ing from the bow rudder to the other StB1-.EDl/VARD B. NOWLAND.

Witnesses Enw. NOWLAND, J12, EDWARD D. SHEA.

